Help! I'm stuck in an unfinished basement!

[lincoln]

So I've got an unfinished basement that is wide open and I'm stuck down there as my "studio". It sounds like balls. Anything I mix on my Yamaha HS50s comes out really bass heavy and crappy. I was planning to finish a room down there but I'm getting laid off just in time for Christmas so a couple hundred bucks is all I can spare. I'm wondering if adding some bass traps and decoupling the monitors from my desk will be worth the trouble or if I should save the cash towards finishing a full room and then deal with acoustics. I've got a layout of my basement attached for your insights. The concrete walls are covered in pink panther 2/3 of the way down and the ceiling is undfinished joists. The floor is concrete with rugs everywhere. Thanks!

[skatingbasser]

I guess it depends how much work you'll be getting until you are making money again. Anything is better than nothing, but if you're acknowledging you're going to go back over and redo things right, maybe should just wait?

Just from looking at your picture.... I would move the pool table to the other side of the basement, set up your drums/amps in there as your tracking room; and move your console to the opposite wall in your control room. Then of course set up some comfy couches and a TV to convince the wife it's actually your new den.

[AudioFields]

i would wait. I doubt you'll be satisfied until you can spend the money to finish the whole thing.

[Glenn Kuras]

You can always build or buy bass traps now and use them with you get the room done. In fact unless you just want a "cool looking place" putting up dry wall is not going to make the room sound any better. I would focus on treatment now (if looks really don't matter) and get a good sound. I will say that $200 is not going to get you very far though.
Can you re post the file with room dimensions? I think part of the problem is where you are set up.

Glenn

[svart]

I record and mix in partially (not painted/sealed) cinderblock rooms. They don't detract from the acoustics of the room at all as long as you have proper treatment, in fact they give it a sort of neat timbre that isn't too live, not too dead.

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by lincoln

I'm wondering if adding some bass traps and decoupling the monitors from my desk will be worth the trouble

Bass traps are definitely worth getting. Absorption at the reflection points too. Speaker decoupling is less important in most rooms.

--Ethan

[lincoln]

thanks for all your responses! I'm thinking I'm going to try and rearrange the area a bit. My thoughts on building some trapping and get some foam to put behind the desk etc. Here's a picture with some round about measurements. Any ideas are welcomed!
thanks!

[Ethan Winer]

The mixing area needs to be symmetrical. See this:

How to set up a room

--Ethan

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by lincoln

thanks for all your responses! I'm thinking I'm going to try and rearrange the area a bit. My thoughts on building some trapping and get some foam to put behind the desk etc. Here's a picture with some round about measurements. Any ideas are welcomed!
thanks!

The foam on the front wall really is not going to do much. Stick with putting as many bass traps straddling the front corners you can.

Glenn